2011 Call for Ratemaking Papers - Proposals due Friday June 26

06/25/2009 —

The Casualty Actuarial Society is again pleased to extend a call for papers on ratemaking topics. This call is under our new two-year cycle and demonstrates our efforts to improve the process for submitting and reviewing papers, giving authors sufficient time to explore topics, and submit high-quality research.

Ratemaking is a major area of expertise for casualty actuaries; it is important that we foster and publish timely, relevant, and high-quality research. The Ratemaking Call Paper Program is offered to further these goals and to provide additional material for basic and continuing education purposes. Papers will be reviewed for acceptance based on:

Originality of ideas

Understandability of concepts

Contribution to the ratemaking literature

Thoroughness of ideas expressed

Timeliness and relevance of research

Both CAS members and non-members are invited to submit proposals for papers. The CAS Committee on Ratemaking will determine which papers are published in the CAS Forum. The Committee reserves the right to not publish a submission. Authors of some of the published papers may be asked to present at the 2011 CAS Ratemaking and Product Management Seminar. The Committee may also consider awarding a prize if one or more of the papers are considered by the Committee to be outstanding. A prize fund of $2,500 is available for those papers nominated by the Committee.

All papers on ratemaking topics are welcome and authors are asked to look to the considerations listed in the CAS Statement of Principles Regarding Property and Casualty Ratemaking. Suggested topics based on current events and topics that deserve new or continued research are listed below.

Call Paper Timetable

Timely submission of the discussion papers is critical. The procedures and timetable enumerated below apply.

Deadline for Proposals
By June 26, 2009, authors must submit proposals for their papers including the suggested title, a short description of the topic(s) to be addressed, the approach that will be taken, and a survey of existing actuarial literature on the subject (title and abstract of a maximum of the five most relevant papers). Authors should review the criteria for acceptance shown above, and the format of papers shown below. Proposals should be submitted electronically, including contact information, via e-mail to Casualty Actuarial Society at jfulton@casact.org. Please put “2011 Ratemaking Call Paper Proposal" in the subject line of the e-mail message

Acceptance of Proposals
By July 31, 2009, the Committee on Ratemaking will decide which proposals are accepted. A representative from the Ratemaking Committee will contact the authors regarding the decision and provide a detailed overview of the Call Paper process. Acceptance of a proposal does not imply the final paper will be accepted.

Monitoring Progress
A Call Paper Sub-Committee will be assigned to work with each author to monitor the paper's progress and to provide general guidance in completing the paper within the timeframes. The sub-committee Chairperson will monitor progress. Authors are encouraged to share drafts with the sub-committee as work progresses, and are required to submit interim drafts according to the following schedule:

By December 4, 2009, a completed draft of the paper will be submitted to the Chair of the assigned Sub-Committee for review.

By March 26, 2010, the Sub-Committee will forward review comments on the draft to the author(s).

By June 18, 2010, a second draft of the paper will be submitted to the Chair of the assigned Sub-Committee for review.

By August 27, 2010, the Sub-Committee will forward review comments on the second draft to the author(s).

Completion Date
By October 1, 2010, the Committee on Ratemaking must receive the completed paper including a 200-word abstract. Each paper will be reviewed by the Committee to assure its quality of exposition, relevance to the call and to ratemaking research, and adherence to format requirements described below. The Committee reserves the right to not publish a submission.

Approving the Completed Paper
By December 8, 2010, authors will be notified of the decision of the Committee to publish their completed paper. Accepted papers will be published in the CAS Forum and will be available on the CAS Web Site prior to the 2011 Ratemaking and Product Management Seminar.

Presenting the Paper
Authors may also be invited to present their papers at the March 2011 CAS Ratemaking and Product Management Seminar. These authors will be contacted in advance of the meeting regarding their presentations.

Prize Competition
The Committee may consider accepted Call papers for a prize, for which a prize fund of $2,500 is available. An independent review committee will judge the papers anonymously and select the best paper(s). If one or more papers are awarded a prize, the prize fund will be shared among those papers equally. If no paper is considered eligible, the award shall not be made. If the Committee awards a prize, it will be presented to the author(s) at the Ratemaking and Product Management Seminar.

In addition to a hard copy of the paper, authors will be required to provide an electronic copy of the paper and will be asked to sign a "Permission to Publish" form allowing the CAS to publish the paper. Authors are encouraged to submit working templates in spreadsheet form for models or methods discussed or developed in their papers and/or PowerPoint presentations incorporating the details of the paper's calculations. The spreadsheets and presentations will be posted on the CAS Web Site along with the paper.

The Committee on Ratemaking looks forward to receiving proposals in response to the call, and is happy to respond to inquiries from interested parties. Questions may be addressed to the Committee on Ratemaking at the CAS Office via e-mail to office@casact.org.

Your participation in this effort will contribute to the written body of knowledge for the CAS and to the success of the 2011 Ratemaking Research Call Paper Program.